Diplomatic harassment in India and anti-Muslim rhetoric may prove to be costly

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr. Muhammad Faisal indicated in a press briefing on Thursday that Pakistan has called back to envoy from India ‘for consultation”. Pakistan’s Foreign Office had already confirmed that diplomats and their children in India were being threatened, abused and filmed by unknown individuals. Amid protests and complaints no positive action has been taken by the India Government so far, mentioned the FO spokesperson.

On Tuesday the FO office issued a statement shedding light on the current situation in India, “For psychological intimidation, videos and photographs of the children were constantly made for 40 minutes, leaving the children extremely traumatized. They were followed all the way to their residence.”

India’s Muslim hate rhetoric is exposing the extremist nature of the country, provoking incidents like “Love Jihad” and mob beating of Muslims, thereby weakening the previous “secular and tolerant” facade of India.

Moreover, the drivers of the High Commission were forcibly taken into custody by unidentified men and they were not allowed to contact their office. According to the statement by FO the children of the diplomats were being threatened, “Their cars were stopped by unknown persons who threatened the children and filmed them.”

“When a protest was lodged following this incident, instead of ameliorating the situation, it was followed by further harassment and stoppage of the provision of gas to the residential complex and further threatening of staff working at the High Commission,” said Pakistan’s FO.

The FO spokesperson further stated that no positive action has been taken by the Indian government as yet. “Despite repeated official protests lodged with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs at the highest level, there has been a rise in the occurrence of such disturbing events,” he mentioned.

The spokesperson further lamented that either the Indian government was not capable of protecting the diplomats or it was a part of the game. “The total apathy and failure of the Indian government to put a halt to these despicable incidents, sparing not even young children, indicates both a lack of capacity to protect foreign diplomats posted in India or a more reprehensible, complicit unwillingness to do so,” stated the FO spokesperson.

India’s anti-Pakistan Narrative

Pakistan and India have been two uncomfortable and uneasy neighbors since their inception in 1947. There are various reasons behind the prevailing political enmity ranging from ideological rivalries to individually rationalist ruling elites in both continues. But India has also managed to present a softer image before the international community, alleging Pakistan for being a religious, conservative and ideologically fundamentalist society. Pakistan has been presented as a terrorist harboring country responsible for the violence in Kashmir.

Intimidation of Pakistani diplomats is a message to Hindi extremists that their leader (Modi) was on his way to take tough steps ‘to teach Pakistan a great lesson’. This year may not be good for already oppressed Muslim minority in Modi’s India and for Pakistani diplomats working in the High Commission of Pakistan in India.

It was also able to attract a large number of audiences across the world that not only bought the Indian narrative but also blamed Pakistan for the entire mess. Because of India’s anti-Pakistan narrative many scholars, who have never ever visited Pakistan, have written against Pakistan blaming the country for sponsoring terrorism and breeding extremists.

India-Pakistan Relations in Post-Modi era

India has, however, been facing severe political problems in the international forum since the election a “Hindu extremist” as their prime minster. India’s current PM, who is known for his anti-Muslim and anti-Pakistan stance, is exposing the nature of Indian secularism. According to the media reports, extremist Hindu organizations have the support of Modi who is certain to make the country a Hindu-dominated state.

As FO spokesperson has mentioned that the use of anti-Pakistan card in India’s domestic politics is an unfortunate moment. The spokesperson has also maintained that in Pakistan nobody uses anti-India card to seek political support. In the same context, the harassment of Pakistani diplomats in India makes a better sense. The general election in India is due in early next year but preparations have been started. The sitting PM is said to be the most popular leader amongst Hindu-extremists for his pro-Hindu political agenda.

Pakistan and India have been two uncomfortable and uneasy neighbors since their inception in 1947. There are various reasons behind the prevailing political enmity ranging from ideological rivalries to individually rationalist ruling elites in both continues.

An anti-minority and anti-Muslim stance in the elections always guarantees a win, as this was also seen in the last US elections through Trump’s victory. A tough stance against Pakistan will help Modi whose entire political narrative relies on am anti-Pakistani rhetoric in order to strengthen his political position in the coming general election. Intimidation of Pakistani diplomats is a message to Hindi extremists that their leader (Modi) was on his way to take tough steps ‘to teach Pakistan a great lesson’.

This year may not be good for already oppressed Muslim minority in Modi’s India and for Pakistani diplomats working in the High Commission of Pakistan in India. The reason is Modi-led government’s political agenda based upon the politics of exclusion and profound marginalization, and grave violations of diplomatic norms. India’s Muslim hate rhetoric is exposing the extremist nature of the country, provoking incidents like “Love Jihad” and mob beating of Muslims, thereby weakening the previous “secular and tolerant” facade of India.

3 COMMENTS

Good article, we need to let the world know how India is hiding behing the fear of terrorism to conceal its dirty tricks, how its killing Muslims in Kashmir but in the end, Pakistan should realize and Muslims should realize the world is not on the side of Muslims, because of the powers that control the media dont really care about the truth, they just care about ratings and frankly hindu terrorists dont rile up people much if they are killing Muslims.

So Pakistan and the Muslims will have to fix India on their own in a language and manner that Indians understand.

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